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LewisGale will finally open NICU >
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The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has approved its Certificate of Public Need (COPN) for a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at LewisGale Medical Center in Salem, after seeking approval to provide intensive care unit level services to babies since 2011. “After 12 years of vigorously pursuing all possible avenues to secure approval to open a NICU at LewisGale Medical Center for the families and communities we serve, we are excited the Virginia Health Commissioner has approved our COPN application,” said Lance Jones, market president. The NICU will provide critical care to newborns who are ill or premature.
“Opening a NICU is the latest example of our commitment to expanding our women’s and children’s services to meet the maternal and child needs of our growing community,” said John Harding, MD, an obstetrician/gynecologist at LewisGale Medical Center. Virginia Senator David Suetterlein (R-Roanoke County) wrote and carried the legislation that exempted a NICU at LewisGale from the COPN process; he long supported efforts to being a NICU to LewisGale, as has Senator John Edwards (D- Roanoke) other state and local legislators.
New sleep study center >
LewisGale Physicians announced it has opened a new Sleep Center located on the LewisGale Medical Center Campus in Salem. The Sleep Center is a comprehensive, outpatient sleep program designed to diagnose and treat sleep disorders under the direction of board-certified pulmonologists and sleep medicine specialists. “We offer a comprehensive range of services and tests which will help us develop treatment plans for patients suffering from sleep disorders,” said Nelson Greene, MD, board-certified specialist in pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine. “There are a number of sleep disorders, with some of the most common being insomnia, sleep apnea, chronic fatigue, restless legs syndrome, sleep walking, night terrors, narcolepsy, and snoring.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates over 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep problem, with 8.1% of the U.S. population diagnosed with
Submitted Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
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LG state of the art lab >
LewisGale Medical Center has also debuted what it calls a newly renovated, state-ofthe-art Cardiovascular Catheterization Lab, “part of an ongoing investment the hospital has made in enhancing the delivery of cardiovascular services.” The new equipment and renovated lab provide advanced treatments, make complex procedures safer and simpler, and provide physicians with leading edge technologies, including a laser-steered platform, to perform a comprehensive range of diagnostic and interventional procedures. “The renovation of our Cardiovascular Catheterization Lab reflects our commitment to providing the highest-level cardiac care in southwest Virginia,” said Michele Gillespie, vice president of cardiovascular services.
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LG-Pulaski Outpatient program debuts >
LewisGale Hospital Pulaski has launched an Adult Substance Use Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), an outpatient service for patients who are experiencing impairment in social, occupational, or family functioning due to substance use that requires intensive and structured intervention. “Our IOP is designed to help patients who may be experiencing behavioral or emotional difficulties related to substance use,” said Leigh Gathings, program director. Patients can expect patient-centered goal setting and treatment planning; group, individual, and family interventions; life skills practice opportunities; evidence-based recovery model; and continuum of care.
Roanoke County
Roanoke County economic news >
RND Coffee, co-owned by brother Quincy and Steffon Randolph (pictured), held their ribbon cutting in late January, at the recently redeveloped Vinyard Station in downtown Vinton. RND opened their second location (the first being in Wasena in Roanoke City) and RND is the second tenant of Vinyard Station. Elsewhere, Chipotle was the first tenant to open in the new outparcels at Tanglewood off Route 419. This is the first of five businesses inside the two adjacent outparcels - Blaze Pizza, Panda Express, Jersey Mike's, and Aspen Dental are next in line. Chili's and Popeye's will open later this year, each in their own outparcel at Tanglewood. Neely's Accounting Services has also opened their third location in Roanoke County on Brambleton Avenue. Neely's offers customers many services including personal and business financial assistance, tax assistance, and more. (from Roanoke County Economic Development)
Another Fralin spinoff >
With a wave of new grants and investments, a cancer stem cell research company founded by Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC scientists is nearing a million dollars in total funding toward development of a new therapeutic to fight drug-resistant cancers such as glioblastoma multiforme and metastatic disease - including triple negative breast cancer. Acomhal Research Inc. was recently awarded $305,000, including $150,000 from the Virginia Tech Carilion Seed Fund, $100,000 from theVirginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) GAP Funds Program, and $55,000 from the CommonWealth Angels investment group. Those funds follow $625,000 the company received in Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants over the previous four years.
“We need to rethink how we treat cancer. Resistance and recurrence result from distinct mechanisms to the original tumor,” said Samy Lamouille, Acomhal’s co-founder and chief executive officer (pictured), and an assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. “Having spent over 20 years in the cancer research and drug development field, I am very excited about the direction Acomhal is taking in development of our novel therapeutic approach.”
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Making the holiday merrier >
RSVP Holiday Tote Bag Program: the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Montgomery County and Radford delivered 110 Holiday Tote Bags to residents of Kroontje Health Care Center the week before Christmas – with the help of Santa and Mrs. Claus of course. The filled totes were handed out individually to residents by Santa and his helpers. Dennis Minnick (Santa), Cindy Minnick (Mrs. Claus); Sherri Blevins, Montgomery County Board of Supervisor; county Human Services Director Tonia Winn; AmeriCorps Seniors Director Atalaya Sergi; and AmeriCorps Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adrienne Nash Melendez all helped with the delivery.
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Freedom First supports BRL >
A $6,000 grant will help Blue Ridge Literacy provide continuity of English literacy and Citizenship Preparation services to adults in the Roanoke Valley. The grant was awarded through Freedom First Credit Union’s (FFCU) Community Grants Program. BRL’s Executive Director Ahoo Salem says funds from FFCU will support programming for a minimum of 60 foreign-born adults at different stages of their naturalization process. In order to pass the US naturalization interview, lawful permanent residents are evaluated on their knowledge of US Civics and English skills
